Arnold Skaaland
{{short description|American professional wrestler and manager}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox professional wrestler
| name = Arnold Skaaland
| image = Arnold Skaaland.jpg
| alt =
| names = Arnold Skaaland
Bobby Weaver
| height = {{height|ft=6|in=0}}
| weight = {{convert|240|lb|kg|abbr=on}}
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1925|1|21}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2007|3|13|1925|1|21}}
| birth_place = White Plains, New York, U.S.
| death_place = White Plains, New York, U.S.
| billed = Norway{{cite book|author=John Grasso|title=Historical Dictionary of Wrestling|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KUsJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA267|date=6 March 2014|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7926-3|pages=267}}
White Plains, New York
| trainer =
|children = 3
| retired = 1987
|module = {{Infobox military person
| embed = yes
| embed_title = Military service
| allegiance = {{USA}}
| branch = 23px United States Marine Corps
| serviceyears =
| rank =
| unit =
| battles = World War II
| awards =
}}
}}
Arnold Skaaland (January 21, 1925 – March 13, 2007) was an American professional wrestler and professional wrestling manager.{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/superstars/arnoldskaaland|publisher=WWE|work=WWE.com|title=Arnold Skaaland|access-date=March 28, 2016}}{{cite book|author=Brian Solomon|title=WWE Legends|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrFWKBBQzAAC&pg=PA33|date=15 June 2010|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-4516-0450-4|pages=33–37}}{{cite news | author = Burkett, Harry| title = names makin' news (the Wrestler) | work = The Wrestler/Inside Wrestling | publisher = Kappa Publications | id = Volume 15, 2007 | pages = 6–8 | date= June 2007}}
Following a stint in the United States Marine Corps during World War II, Skaaland began wrestling in 1946 under his real name. Given the nickname “Golden Boy,” he became a part of the World Wide Wrestling Federation in 1963, and in 1967, won the WWWF United States Tag Team Championship with Spiros Arion.
In 1978, Skaaland retired from in-ring competition and transitioned into a manager; unlike most managers, he managed faces instead of heels. Skaaland's most notable clients included Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund. Skaaland later became a road agent for the WWF, and was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame in 1994.
Early life
Skaaland served in the U.S. Marines during World War II.{{cite news | author = Variale, Philip | title = Three months of tragedies | work = Pro Wrestling Illustrated | publisher = Kappa Publications | id = July, 2007 | pages = 105–107 | date= June 2007}} After a short-lived attempt to make a living through boxing, he decided to become a professional wrestler.
Professional wrestling career
=Early career (1946–1963)=
Skaaland debuted in 1946 as Arnold Skaaland. He was billed early in his career as hailing from Norway. Performing throughout the northeastern United States, Skaaland gained the nickname "The Golden Boy" and was known as a small, agile wrestler who relied on speed, wits, and toughness in the ring rather than size and strength. In the late 1950s, he wrestled in Georgia under the ring name Bobby Weaver.
In the early 1960s, Skaaland unsuccessfully challenged both Pat O'Connor and "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. In 1962, Skaaland refereed a high-profile match between Freddie Blassie and Rikidōzan in Japan.
=World Wide Wrestling Federation/World Wrestling Federation (1963–1994)=
==Wrestling appearances (1963–1978)==
In 1963, Skaaland was a part of the newly created, New York City-based World Wide Wrestling Federation. On June 1, 1967, he collected his only title as one half of the WWWF United States Tag Team Champions, when Tony Parisi gave his half of the title to Skaaland. Skaaland and his partner, Spiros Arion, soon lost the titles to The Sicilians (Lou Albano and Tony Altimore) on July 10, 1967, in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Arion and Bruno Sammartino rewon the belts two weeks later, and retired them. In addition to wrestling, Skaaland was a shareholder of the Capitol Wrestling Corporation, the parent company of the WWWF, and a business partner of WWWF Chairman Vince McMahon Sr. Skaaland was responsible for producing WWWF shows in the Westchester County Center in Westchester County, New York, and serving as an agent for André the Giant.{{Cite web|last=JP|date=2009-07-22|title=PROVING THAT SIZE DOES MATTER {{!}} WRESTLING LEGEND ANDRE THE GIANT|url=https://selvedgeyard.com/2009/07/22/andre-the-giant-proving-size-matters/|access-date=2021-06-29|website=The Selvedge Yard|language=en}}
==Managerial appearances==
Skaaland managed Bruno Sammartino and Bob Backlund, with both men winning the WWF World Heavyweight Championship under his tutelage.{{Cite book|last1=Backlund|first1=Bob|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Lm2CDwAAQBAJ&dq=arnold+skaaland&pg=PT272|title=Backlund: From All-American Boy to Professional Wrestling's World Champion|last2=Miller|first2=Robert H.|date=2015-09-15|publisher=Simon and Schuster|isbn=978-1-61321-696-5|language=en}} In 1978, Skaaland retired from regular wrestling, though he occasionally appeared as a late substitute for wrestlers that couldn't make a show. Pro Wrestling Illustrated named Skaaland Manager of the Year for 1978 and 1979. Backlund's lengthy reign ended on December 26, 1983, when Skaaland threw in the towel while Backlund was trapped in the camel clutch, the finishing move of challenger The Iron Sheik. It was also rumored that Backlund begged authorities for a rematch.{{Cite book|last1=Sugar|first1=Bert Randolph|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I2yUxqdLv1wC&q=arnold+skaaland|title=Wrestling's Great Grudge Matches: "battles and Feuds"|last2=Napolitano|first2=George|date=1985|publisher=Gallery Books|isbn=978-0-8317-9682-2|language=en}}
Skaaland appeared in the 1987 music video for the title track from Piledriver - The Wrestling Album 2, "Piledriver" by Koko B. Ware as the foreman of a construction site. In 1994, he was inducted into the WWF Hall of Fame class of 1994 for managing both Sammartino and Backlund to the (W)WWF World Heavyweight Championship.{{Cite web|title=WWE Hall of Fame|url=http://www.prowrestlinghistory.com/supercards/usa/wwf/hof.html|access-date=2021-06-02|website=www.prowrestlinghistory.com}} He appeared on WWF television later that year, with Backlund attacking him in order to consolidate his heel turn.{{Citation|title=Bob Backlund attacks his former manager Arnold Skaaland: Superstars, October 15, 1994|url=https://www.wwe.com/videos/bob-backlund-attacks-his-former-manager-arnold-skaaland-superstars-october-15-1994|language=en|access-date=2021-06-02}}
Personal life
Skaaland was married to Betty Skaaland. They had three sons: Edward Patrick, James Allen, and George (the last of whom briefly competed as a wrestler in the mid-1980s).{{Cite web|title=George Skaaland's Profile|url=https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=12171|url-status=live|website=Cagematch|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210629003501/https://www.cagematch.net/?id=2&nr=12171 |archive-date=2021-06-29 }} It was said that Skaaland was the only man who could match Andre the Giant when drinking alcohol.{{Cite web|last=Todd|first=Terry|title=To The Giant Among Us: What life is like for Andre the Giant|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1981/12/21/to-the-giant-among-us-thats-no-small-beer-on-the-right-its-a-normal-12-ounce-can-in-the-hand-of-7-4quot-500-pound-wrestler-andre-the-giant-the-glass-is-in-the-prodigious-paw-of-the-author-a-former-superheavyweight-powerlifting-c|access-date=2021-06-29|website=Sports Illustrated Vault {{!}} SI.com|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|last=English|first=Richard|title=The Greatest Drunk on Earth: Andre the Giant {{!}} Modern Drunkard Magazine|url=https://drunkard.com/10_06_andre_giant/|access-date=2021-07-30|language=en-US}}
Death
Skaaland died on March 13, 2007 at the age of 82, with his wife by his side. He had been sick for some time.{{Cite web|date=2007-03-14|title=Arnold Skaaland dead at 82|url=https://slamwrestling.net/index.php/2007/03/14/arnold-skaaland-dead-at-82/|access-date=2021-05-26|website=Slam Wrestling|language=en-US}} He is interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Hawthorne, New York.{{cite web|url=http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/skaalandpasses|title=Arnold Skaaland passes away|access-date=2007-12-23|publisher=WWE| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20071231210634/http://www.wwe.com/inside/news/archive/skaalandpasses| archivedate= 31 December 2007 | url-status= live}}
Championships and accomplishments
- Cauliflower Alley Club
- Other honoree (1994){{cite web|url=http://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org/list-of-cac-award-winners/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140302100849/http://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org/list-of-cac-award-winners/ |title=List of CAC Award Winners |publisher=Cauliflower Alley Club |archivedate=March 2, 2014|access-date=February 13, 2019|url-status=dead }}
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated
- PWI Manager of the Year (1978, 1979)
- World Wide Wrestling Federation / World Wrestling Federation
- WWWF United States Tag Team Championship (1 time) - with Spiros Arion
- WWF Hall of Fame (Class of 1994)
- Slammy Award (1 time)
- Lifetime Achievement Award (1997)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{wwe superstars|arnoldskaaland|Arnold Skaaland}}
- {{IMDb name|nm0803726|Arnold Skaaland}}
- {{professional wrestling profiles}}
{{WWE Hall of Fame}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skaaland, Arnold}}
Category:20th-century male professional wrestlers
Category:20th-century American professional wrestlers
Category:American male professional wrestlers
Category:Burials at Gate of Heaven Cemetery (Hawthorne, New York)
Category:Professional wrestlers from New York (state)
Category:Professional wrestling managers and valets
Category:American professional wrestling trainers
Category:Sportspeople from White Plains, New York
Category:WWE Hall of Fame inductees
Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II